The Greener Grass of Real Estate

It's no secret that houses with great landscaping have a more attractive curbside appeal. When it comes to increasing the value of your home, revamping your landscaping and hardscaping can make a bigger difference than you might think. When looking at ideal homes, 90% of Americans would like a home that has lush landscaping.

In the real estate market, houses with landscaping are not only more attractive to potential buyers because of the curbside appeal, but also because they offer outdoor living spaces for the homeowners. What makes outdoor living spaces so attractive is that they allow you to have your own personal oasis to spend time in.

Return on Investment

With the addition of landscaping, you can significantly increase the value of your home. What makes landscaping such a good return on investment (ROI), is that you can significantly increase the property value of your home without spending a significant amount of money. Landscaping is a great renovation project because, unlike other popular areas of the home to renovate, if you have the time, you can do most of the work on your own.

Simple Additions

When it comes to updating your landscaping, there is a lot of flexibility about what you can do, no matter your budget. Part of having an inviting landscape is having one that is carefully planned out. Even simple additions such as edging rocks around gardens and trees and fresh mulch can make a big difference.

One addition that may not come to mind is lighting. Installing lights to line your garden planters or your sidewalk is both inexpensive and can really transform your yard. Many of these lights can also be purchased as solar lights, meaning that they won't put a strain on your electricity bill.

Tending to Your Landscaping

Installing your new landscaping is just the first step. Once your landscaping is in, you have to keep up with regular maintenance. If your yard is not maintained, it can actually hurt your curbside appeal from a real estate standpoint and will be less enjoyable to spend time in. Regularly trimming and pruning both trees and bushes will keep your landscaping looking attractive. Tackling weeds before they become an issue will prevent you from facing a much larger problem. The spring and fall are great times to put down fertilizer and weed killer to prevent weeds from coming up in the future.

Of course, one of the main focal points of many landscapes is the lawn. Having a lawn filled with st. augustine grass and with no bare spots can really change the whole look of a home. Lawns do require regular maintenance. Regular weeding and fungal treatments can prevent your lawn from lawncare diseases or pests that can destroy your lawn.

Lawns also require weekly mowing and watering throughout the summer and into the fall. One issue that many people face is either overwatering or underwatering their lawns. Both of these can kill your grass. As a general rule, you should give your lawn about an inch of water throughout the week. This means that you need to account for rain or times of drought. Be careful of overwatering your lawn as it can lead to fungus and rot.

Hardcaping Matters

When creating an outdoor living space, it comes down to more than landscaping. Homeowners who didn't have any landscaping were 60% less likely to spend time in their outdoor living space because of the lack of shelter. With the addition of hardscaping, you can tailor-make your yard to fit your needs.

Installing a deck with an overhang can make outdoor entertaining enjoyable year-round, you can also design it to be a space for entertaining, or simply a relaxing spot for you to wind down at the end of the day.

Embrace the Outdoors

Renovating your landscaping does more than just increase the value of your home. It also increases the enjoyment that you get from spending time in your yard. Adding landscaping and hardscaping doesn't have to be a major project, you can design it to meet your needs, skills, and budget.